Our Team

Patrick is the Director of Operations. He manages the coordination of American and Honduran, corporate and governmental donors, and strategy for coffee sales and the microfinance program. Patrick studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, but changed his focus from engineering to microfinance and coffee shortly after his bachelor's degree. When not working, Patrick enjoys spending time on the coffee farm he owns with Michael, Bret, and Martir and also enjoys backcountry skiing and rock climbing.

Andrew Boyd is the Director of U.S. Operations for UMF. He manages the stateside fundraising, marketing and sales of Microloan Coffee, and service trip coordination. Andrew graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Political Science and History. He is the recipient of the William E. Simon Fellowship for a Noble Purpose for his work starting UMF. Andrew has been involved with La Union, Honduras since 2005 when he went on a week-long service trip. This first trip changed his perspective and resulted in a growing commitment and passion. When Andrew is not working, he enjoys being outside, particularly camping and exploring the Northwest coast of Michigan's lower peninsula.

Jeremy Miller is UMF's Director of Honduran Operations where he leads UMF's microloan and training programs and also coordinates Community Partnership Projects. Jeremy graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in business administration and also received a master's of education degree from Ferris State University. After four years working in finance and accounting with Ernst & Young and Deutsche Bank and seven years teaching AP Government and AP Human Geography at Mona Shores High School in Muskegon, MI, Jeremy felt a strong desire to make a bigger contribution. His passion around the injustice of extreme poverty lead him to UMF. He has a wife and two children and loves to cook and travel in his free time.

Charlie Heins joined the UMF team in Fall 2010 as the Manager of Finance. In 2009, he graduated from the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University. He uses his experience in business administration to monitor and analyze UMF's financial activities. He was initially drawn to UMF because of his past mission trip experiences in Honduras and his desire to help the disadvantaged rural farmers that UMF works with. He looks forward to managing finances and making other necessary contributions as UMF continues to improve and expand in the coming years. Whether working on financial spread sheets or enjoying nature in his free time, he brings a positive attitude and a fierce determination to complete the task at hand.

Heather Farrell is UMF's Media Director. She gets out the word about UMF's work in La Unión through stories, photos, newsletters and social media. Heather studied art, politics and journalism at Calvin College, and received her master's in journalism from American University in Washington, D.C. After four years in D.C. working at the Washington Post, Heather felt drawn to work more directly with people in an underdeveloped region abroad. She moved to La Unión in 2011 to work at the Abundant Life Christian School, teaching English and history to secondary-level students. While in La Unión, Heather worked with UMF on some of their projects and learned how UMF supports development in the area. She returned to La Unión after the school year to continue with UMF. When not taking photos, Heather enjoys drinking coffee with friends, playing violin at church, and exploring new places.

Tsuyoshi Domoto, or more commonly referred to by his teammates and the community as "Yoshi", is UMF's Director of Green Coffee Purchases. He is responsible for most things green coffee-related whether it be purchases, processing or shipment of coffee from Honduras to the United States. He graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles where he studied International Relations and Economics. His previous work experience prior to joining UMF was in the financial services industry in Tokyo, Japan. He has been passionate about development ever since his freshman year of college when he interned with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh so he is excited to now be working for UMF. In his time off he like to relax by reading in a hammock or playing tunes on his ukulele.

José Martir Alvarado is a La Unión native. As a field officer, he holds meetings with farmers in the communities, runs trainings to improve productivity, conducts community surveys to better know the living situation of families, helps producers economically, and works to ensure that our farmers sell their harvest at good prices. He likes being part of the team because he knows we are providing the necessary tools for farmers to move forward successfully out of poverty. He has direct contact with each one of our clients and from this we better know and understand each one of them. He is part of the intellectual development and economic growth of each one of the families.

Gilberto Barrientos Hernandez is a La Unión native and has three children. As a field officer, he also goes to villages for meetings with farmers, coordinates training sessions, and conducts training sessions in the villages we work in. He likes being part of the team because we are helping farmers improve their harvest of coffee, corn, and beans through the loans we give. Also, he is very close to what is happening with the farmers. And he is excited to help coffee farmers have access to a better market for their coffee and to be able to sell it at a higher price.

José Pedro Hernández Tejada is a La Unión native who has studied promoción social (social promoter). He worked as a teacher in a rural school in the aldea of Los Ramos, El Filo. After this, he worked in San Pedro Sula at the company Lady Lee, working with merchandise receiving and inventory. He returned to La Unión and worked on his father’s coffee farm while starting a small store in his house. In June 2012, he began work as a field officer with UMF. He likes working with the organization because it supports small producers with input loans that allow improved production, both in quantity and quality, of crops such as coffee, corn and beans. This then allows producers to sell for better prices, and in this way, better their economic situation.